Highland Park shooting: Hundreds get counseling services

In the wake of the July 4 mass shooting which claimed the lives of seven people in Highland Park, Township High School District 113 provided counseling services to more than 300 students, staff and community members on Tuesday, and announced it would offer expanded services from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Friday.

More than 40 counselors and psychologists from a variety of entities provided services at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools on Tuesday, according to director of communications and alumni relations Karen Warner.

District 113 Superintendent Bruce Law wrote to parents on Tuesday evening that the district is “extremely grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support” from the community and outside organizations which have offered help.

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“It is evident that the grief and impact caused by Monday’s horrific events have increased the community’s need for access to counseling services,” Law said.

Warner said the help District 113 has received from counseling professionals, many of them from outside organizations, has been crucial to providing enough support to those affected.

“We had a bunch of outside resources that people, basically, from a lot of surrounding districts volunteered their services to assist, which was really wonderful,” Warner said.

North Shore School District 112, which operates seven area elementary schools, two middle schools and an early childhood center, also centered its services at the high school on Tuesday.

District 112 director of communications Nicholas Glenn said the district would offer counseling services with therapy dogs on Wednesday and Thursday at two locations which may be closer or more of a comfortable setting for students and community members.

Oak Terrace School in Highwood and Ravinia School in Highland Park are each hosting drop-in counseling, and the Oak Terrace site will offer counseling services in Spanish as well.

According to Glenn, 50 families at Ravinia and 40 families at Oak Terrace had checked in for services as of Wednesday afternoon. The services are offered from 9 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 4 p.m.

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“We’ve opened up two schools that if our parents want to go to a District 112 school, say they (have kids in kindergarten through eighth grade), they can go here if they’re closer or feel more comfortable seeing somebody from their own district,” Glenn said.

District 113 students enrolled in summer school also have counseling services available to them during those hours, Warner said.

She added that the district didn’t know what the demand for counseling services would be, but that it has been able to meet the need.

“When we put this together (Monday) night, you never know who will come, how many will come,” Warner said. “You never know how to gauge that interest, but we had a lot of people show up (Tuesday). Happy to offer it.”

Highwood Public Library is also offering support services to anyone in the community affected by the shooting.

Volunteer Sandy Anderson said the library regularly offers therapy sessions and support groups, but that it is increasing capacity in response to the shooting.

Individual therapy sessions are available by appointment, from 3 to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays.

“It’s private, it’s free and these are wonderful professionals that are here,” Anderson said.

Additionally, support groups meet Monday through Wednesday nights from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

In a Monday statement, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering also thanked the American Red Cross for offering its help, as well as the Northern Illinois Critical Incident Stress Management’s support for first responders.